Super Bowl Sunday is one of the year\u2019s biggest celebrations\u2014not only for the game but for the food, halftime spectacle and the commercials that have become part of the tradition. With over 100 million viewers tuning in annually, advertisers often save their most creative spots for the broadcast, producing ads that stick in the cultural memory. As Super Bowl LX approaches, here are ten commercials that many consider the all-time best.<\/p>\n
10. Wendy\u2019s \u2014 \u201cWhere\u2019s the Beef?\u201d (1984)
\nA short, surprising commercial showed three elderly women examining giant hamburger buns with a minuscule patty inside. One woman\u2019s outraged question\u2014\u201cWhere\u2019s the beef?\u201d\u2014became an instantly recognizable catchphrase and cemented the ad in pop culture.<\/p>\n
9. E*Trade \u2014 \u201cTalking Babies\u201d (2008)
\nE*Trade used an absurd but memorable idea\u2014babies who speak like savvy investors\u2014to poke fun at online trading. The campaign took off online and became one of the brand\u2019s most enduring advertising concepts.<\/p>\n
8. Volkswagen \u2014 \u201cThe Force\u201d (2011)
\nPlaying on Star Wars nostalgia, a child dressed as Darth Vader tries to summon the Force on household items and a Volkswagen. The twist comes when a parent helps the fantasy along with a remote, giving the kid a thrilling payoff.<\/p>\n
7. Pepsi \u2014 \u201cNew Can (Two Kids)\u201d (1992)
\nFeaturing supermodel Cindy Crawford, the ad has two boys gawking as she buys a Pepsi at a gas station. Their amazement shifts from her presence to the new Pepsi can, capturing ’90s pop-culture glamour with a wink.<\/p>\n
6. Amazon \u2014 \u201cAlexa Lost Her Voice\u201d (2018)
\nThis spot imagines every Alexa device suddenly losing its voice and celebrities stepping in as replacements\u2014sometimes hilariously inaptly (Gordon Ramsay scolding a user, Cardi B answering space questions). The star-studded concept leaned into humor and the ubiquity of voice assistants.<\/p>\n
5. McDonald\u2019s \u2014 \u201cThe Showdown\u201d (1993)
\nLarry Bird and Michael Jordan face off in a films-ready sequence of escalating trick shots, with the loser forced to watch the winner eat a Big Mac. The ad mixes athletic star power with playful competition and cinematic stunts.<\/p>\n
4. Budweiser \u2014 \u201cFrog\u201d (1995)
\nBudweiser turned croaks into marketing gold, using frogs in a swamp that rhythmically call out syllables to spell the brand name. The simple, catchy concept became a widely recognized and imitated spot.<\/p>\n
3. Budweiser \u2014 \u201cWhat\u2019s Up?\u201d (2000)
\nA group of friends repeatedly call one another while amusingly greeting each other with an ever-growing \u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u201d The line quickly jumped into everyday slang, helping the ad transcend its product pitch.<\/p>\n
2. Coca\u2011Cola \u2014 \u201cHey Kid, Catch\u201d (1980)
\nOne of the most emotional athlete spots ever aired, this commercial features \u201cMean\u201d Joe Greene brightening after a young fan offers him a Coke; Greene then tosses the boy his jersey with the line, \u201cHey kid, catch.\u201d The moment became a classic example of sports-star goodwill on screen.<\/p>\n
1. Apple \u2014 \u201c1984\u201d (1984)
\nDirected by Ridley Scott to promote the Macintosh, this cinematic commercial cast a lone heroine who shatters a dystopian \u201cBig Brother\u201d broadcast. Presented as a bold statement against conformity, it was a revolutionary ad that many outlets and critics still cite as the greatest commercial ever made.<\/p>\n
Honorable mentions
\nNike \u2014 \u201cHair Jordan\u201d (1992); Pepsi \u2014 \u201cThe Joy of Pepsi\u201d (2001); Snickers \u2014 \u201cYou\u2019re Not You When You\u2019re Hungry\u201d (2010); Old Spice \u2014 \u201cThe Man Your Man Could Smell Like\u201d (2010); Esurance \u2014 \u201cSolta Pharmacy\u201d (2015); Dunkin \u2014 \u201cDrive Thru\u201d (2023); Snickers \u2014 \u201cBetty White for Snickers\u201d (2010); FedEx \u2014 \u201cCast Away\u201d (2006); Reebok \u2014 \u201cTerry Tate: Office Linebacker\u201d (2003); Budweiser \u2014 \u201cOld School Delivery\u201d (2024); Electronic Data Systems \u2014 \u201cHerding Cats\u201d (2000); Pepsi \u2014 \u201cDancing Bears\u201d (1997); Google \u2014 \u201cLove in Paris\u201d (2010); Taco Bell \u2014 \u201cViva Young\u201d (2013); Tide \u2014 \u201cIt\u2019s a Tide Ad\u201d (2018); E*Trade \u2014 \u201cMoney\u201d (2000); Squarespace \u2014 \u201cSally\u2019s Shell\u201d (2022); Uber Eats \u2014 \u201cThe Beckham Family\u201d (2024); Pepsi \u2014 \u201cApartment 10G\u201d (1987); Pepsi \u2014 \u201cDiner\u201d (1995).<\/p>\n
Fan Take:
\nSuper Bowl ads are more than commercial breaks\u2014they shape pop culture and show how brands tap into the passions and personalities of football audiences. For NFL fans, these spots enhance the event\u2019s communal feel and illustrate how storytelling, celebrity and humor can deepen viewers\u2019 emotional connection to the game day experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Super Bowl Sunday is one of the year\u2019s biggest celebrations\u2014not only for the game but for the food, halftime spectacle and the commercials that have become part of the tradition. With over 100 million viewers tuning in annually, advertisers often save their most creative spots for the broadcast, producing ads that stick in the cultural […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41642,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[859],"tags":[860],"class_list":{"0":"post-41641","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-nfl"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41641"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41641\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}